1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motorcycle having a front fender extending on front and rear sides of a front fork. The front fork supports a front wheel thereon, the front fender being mounted on the front fork in such a manner as to cover an upper side of the front wheel. Specifically, the present invention is drawn to an improved structure of the front fender.
2. Description of Related Art
A front fender is constructed by forming a sheet member such as steel sheet into an approximately U-shape opened on the front wheel side in cross section. The front fender is mounted on the front fork in such a manner as to cover an upper side of the front wheel. The rigidity of such a front fender in the longitudinal direction of the front fender is not large because the front fender extends on the front and rear sides of the front fork. As a result, there may occur vibration of the front fender by a road surface and/or collision with small stones, etc. picked up by the front wheel upon running of the motorcycle. Furthermore, noise due to the vibration can be very high. To reduce such vibration and noise, attempts have been made to increase the thickness of a front fender or provide a stay for increasing a supporting strength of a front fender in addition to a stay for mounting the front fender to a front fork.
The structure in which the thickness of a front fender is increased for reducing vibration and noise of the front fender is disadvantageous in that the weight of the front fender itself, and therefore, the total weight of the motorcycle is increased. The structure employing a stay for increasing a supporting strength in addition to a stay for mounting the front fender to a front fork is disadvantageous in that the degree of freedom in design is restricted because a clearance between the front fender additionally provided with the stay and a front wheel must be suitably ensured.